A Guide to Dry Dog & Cat Food : Australia

My neighbour has a Labrador. She’s overweight, dull coat, and on the rare occasions she gets excited enough to run she ends up coughing and spluttering. I thought she was older, but she’s only 5, and when I asked the owner what she was eating I wasn’t surprised to hear “Supercoat“. Supercoat is Purina’s mainstream offering to the Australian market, and our kiwi friends have TUX. I’d like to say it’s better, but it’s not. It’s worse.

The TUX website claims they “understand the unique requirements of dogs”. We all know dogs are essentially carnivorous, don’t we? Didn’t we learn as kids about dogs having canine teeth? Those big fangs for devouring meat?

Basic canine nutrition 101.

So why is Purina TUX mostly Cereals and/or Cereal By-Products?

If cereals weren’t problematic enough in causing allergies, dull skin and coat, bloat, and general poor health, then cereal by-products are worse. Why would you feed a dog all the crap left over which would otherwise be waste product?

I’m looking at the Beef & Liver Flavour formula and wondering why it isn’t called the Filler & Floor Sweepings Flavour. Granted, it has meat and meat by-products in the food, but it’s the cheapest and nastiest inclusion.

That’s about it really. There’s a token vitamin and mineral pack as a legal requirement, and “natural flavours” whatever they are. They may as well list it as “stuff we really don’t want to tell you about in case you vomit”.

The protein is worrying low at 16%. That’s diabolical considering dogs need protein (amino acids from meat protein) to retain health and muscle mass. Fat is alarmingly low at 6%. Fat is an essential source of energy for a canine, which means the dog will have to utilise sugars produced from the carbohydrate content of the food. I estimate carbs at a staggering 60% which makes it one of the highest carbohydrate foods available. Research has shown high carbohydrate diets are damaging to dogs.

How Purina can claim on their website that TUX keeps kiwi dogs “full of life” and “fit as a fiddle” merely shows how little they respect us and our dogs. They’re taking us for mugs.

Where to buy?

Uh… don’t.

Good points…

The marketing is fantastic.

Bad points…

The food is shit.

Guaranteed Analysis

* Carbohydrates aren’t listed on pet food labels. This value is calculated based on levels of protein, fat, moisture, and ash. Estimated values for moisture and ash have been used where these values haven’t been given (moisture of 10%, and ash of 8%).